Overtourism in Santorini may have reached a critical turning point on 23 July, when 11,000 cruise passengers disembarked on the Greek island in just one day. The huge influx of cruise liners sparked a controversial warning to residents from one official and a crisis meeting about limiting future arrivals.
Island’s idyllic image drives tourism
As one of the world’s most scenic spots, Santorini (also known as Thira) and its signature white villages that tumble down hillsides to an azure sea, have become social media stars attracting around two million visitors per year. But like many cruise destinations elsewhere, the negative effects of such crowding on an island home to just 15,500 people has caused increasingly urgent calls for limits to be imposed.
Since 2023 the island has managed to slash the number of so-called “peak days” when visitor numbers exceed 10,000-11,000 by almost a quarter, from 63 to 48 days a year. But it will take time for the measures being taken to filter through, Santorini Mayor Nikos Zorzos told local press, due to the advanced planning entailed in cruise ship logistics.
Emergency Announcement
That means days like last Tuesday, when Santorini’s narrow streets are packed with tourists, are still too frequent for fed-up locals. And when Panagiotis Kavallaris, president of the Thira municipal community, posted an urgent plea online for residents to limit their own movements, it was too much for some. The now-deleted message read:
“Emergency Announcement. Another difficult day for our city and island with the arrival of 17,000 visitors from cruise ships!!! We ask for your attention and we reduce our movements as much as we can !!!”
🇬🇷SANTORINI OVERWHELMED BY MASS TOURISM, LOCALS CALL FOR VISITOR LIMITS
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) July 27, 2024
Tourists arrive by dinghies, coaches, and even donkeys, crowding the island's narrow streets and cliffside spots to capture the sunset.
This influx has strained the island's infrastructure and driven up… pic.twitter.com/2tUgK2soTg
Locals asked to make way
It is not clear where Kavallaris sourced the 17,000 figure, but it was not the number so much as the sentiment that angered recipients. The public reaction was incredulous, asking why local residents were forced to stay inside in order to facilitate out-of-control tourism. A meeting was held later the same day, bringing together Zorzos, the governor of the South Aegean region and various MPs to discuss how best to approach the problem of overtourism going forward.
Zorzos told reporters that a maximum of 8,000 arrivals a day would be placed on cruise passenger arrivals. “Starting in 2025, we will reinstate this cap to preserve our island as a unique destination,” he said.
